Sisterhood of the Traveling Skirt

When my good friend, Esther, asked me to participate in a meaningful project she was working on, I immediately said yes, without even knowing all of the details. Esther told me that she had designed a fun, frou-frou tulle skirt which she wanted to travel around the country (or world!) from one woman to another, creating a sisterhood of a the traveling skirt (flashback to reading the ‘pants’ book series in high school!).

As explained in her blog post, “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Skirt is for anyone who thinks they’re too old/too young/too fat/too skinny/too inexperienced/too self-conscious/not smart enough/not pretty enough… not enough. You are SO enough. Even if you’re embarrassed, even if you’re self-conscious, even if you’re afraid… do it anyway. Don’t let fear stop you from becoming who you want to be.”

I love that Esther is promoting self confidence and encouraging her fellow ‘sisters’ to follow their own creative path without worrying what others think of you. People tend to think that people who put themselves ‘out there’ on the internet are full of self-confidence, but this isn’t always the case. For years I wrote this blog without promoting it, even to friends or on social media, simply because I was embarrassed about what they would think.

In 2014, I decided to create a ‘blog’ Instagram account (@snapshotsandmythoughts), and I have to tell you – I considered deleting it about 2,000 times at the beginning because I was so self conscious that people I knew would judge me for having it! I am so grateful that I didn’t listen to my doubtful self and kept the account, because through it, I have met some of my closest friends, and my life has been positively influenced more than I can describe in words.

Then in the Spring of 2015, I started my photography business. Enter more self doubt. As a “starting photographer/event planner/calligrapher, etc.,” it’s so easy to think you’re not good enough – and truth be told, if you’re starting something new, you’ve probably got a lot to learn and plenty of space to grow. But what I’ve discovered is that for the most part, people are so encouraging and want to help people get their businesses up and running.

This past Monday, Courtney and I wandered down the sidewalks next to my parent’s house in Durango, enduring a few curious glances (tulle skirts in 45 degree weather isn’t the most typical combination). I was even a bit self conscious then (ironic!), until I got my twirl on and decided to just have fun. Why do we care so much what others think of us?

Given that I’m about to be a mom to two girls, I want them to feel confident and proud of who they are. I don’t want their concerns over what others think about them ever to stop them from achieving their goals and seeking out their passions. As Esther said so beautifully, “Even if you’re embarrassed, even if you’re self-conscious, even if you’re afraid… do it anyway.” This is a philosophy that I hope my girls follow whole-heartedly.

Has fear ever stopped you from doing what you love? If so, hopefully it’s not too late to change that. If you’ve got a dream, but haven’t ever taken that first step to making it a reality, do it today. Email me if you’d like to chat more! I would be honored to help.

A huge thank you to Esther for including me in your wonderful sisterhood.